In the School of Prophets

"The author shows how Merton brings his own experience of contemplative life into dialogue with a select group of writers, philosophers, poets, activists, social theorists, and religious thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries and over time develops his own understanding of a prophetic spirituality. This book is not an easy ready, but the time and effort put into it will be amply rewarded, especially when given the state of world in which we find ourselves."Pauline A. Viviano, Catholic New World
"Ephrem Arcement situates Merton's prophetic life and witness, most pronounced in the final decade of his life, within a much broader understanding of the prophetic vocation, integrating many seemingly diffuse elements from throughout Merton's life. In the School of Prophets is a thoughtful, challenging treatise that underscores Merton's stature as a true man of God, like the prophets of old, calling us forward and challenging us to labor for the fidelity to God to which Merton himself strived. This is a refreshing and vital approach to understanding Merton's prophetic vocation."Dr. Paul M. Pearson, Director and Archivist, Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University
"In the School of Prophets throws fresh light on the integral relationship between prophecy and mysticism in Merton's life and writings. Mining a range of sources sometimes overlooked in Merton studies, Ephrem Arcement ably guides the reader beneath the surface of the many-faceted diamond that is Merton's paradoxical spirituality of solitude and social engagement, resistance and hope. . . . An aptly rich and multilayered study of Merton's Christ-haunted spirituality."Christopher Pramuk, Associate Professor, Theology, Xavier University